


wisdom

by Snailicorn



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Misunderstandings, Texting, also gets a bit gay at the end but not any more than ouran itself sooooo, gets a bit tense for a while, open to suggestions on title tbh, perhaps he has reason to be, perhaps not, tamaki is dramatic, whatever floats your boat, you can interpret it as gay gay or friend gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-09-06 01:37:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8729578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snailicorn/pseuds/Snailicorn
Summary: Kyouya Ootori does not allow himself unexcused absences from school. Thus, when Tamaki’s classes began and there was no sign of his friend he was, understandably, concerned.
Title is subject to change as soon as I come up with one that's less terrible.





	

Kyouya Ootori does not allow himself unexcused absences from school. There are times, to be sure, when he must miss classes, but he always plans accordingly. If an appointment causes him to come to school late or leave early, he extensively discusses the matter with all involved well beforehand. Kyouya would have everything in his life perfectly scheduled and planned ahead of time if he could. 

Thus, when Tamaki’s classes began and there was no sign of his friend he was, understandably, concerned.

The king of the host club entered his first class of the day, greeted by the usual masses of entranced girls and jealous boys, but his bespectacled friend was nowhere to be seen. With a few minutes left before the teacher would begin instructing, Tamaki pulled out his cell phone and gave Kyouya a call. He sat elegantly at his desk, allowing his hair to be dramatically blown by the air from the open window beside him as his classmates swooned, and waited. No response.

_Did Kyouya mention he had something to do today?_ Tamaki racked his brain, trying to remember if his friend had said something about coming in late. Usually, Tamaki would remember something like this, but, if Kyouya had told him during the club hours, he may have, admittedly, not been paying much attention. _Then again,_ Tamaki thought, _Kyouya would have made sure I was paying attention first. He wouldn’t tell me during club activities, surely?_ Frowning, Tamaki turned his phone to vibrate and slipped it back into his pocket as the clock tower’s bell chimed, signaling the beginning of classes. 

His concern grew when he checked between classes and saw that Kyouya had not attempted to return his call. Of course, this was not actually that unusual—the shadow king often decided against encouraging Tamaki’s overly dramatic displays of clinginess. He would simply expect Tamaki to try again later if he needed something important. So, Tamaki called again.

11 times.

All before lunch.

And then 20 more times during lunch. 

Tamaki wondered if he was being purposefully ignored. _Did I do something to make Kyouya mad at me?_ He didn’t think that he had, but then again… Tamaki was just unaware of himself that he sometimes irritated people without meaning to, and just aware of himself that he _knew_ he irritated people. But, Kyouya wasn’t shy about telling him when he was being annoying. _No, no, that can’t be it._

Tamaki tried to pay attention in class. _Kyouya will want to copy my notes,_ he thought. His mind kept fluttering away to other things, however. He brainstormed ideas for theme days for the club. (What if Haruhi were a princess and the rest of the club were her knights? But then, what would the customers get out of that?) He doodled possible outfits for the hosts (wouldn’t Haruhi look cute in Sweet Lolita? And maybe those rotten twins would have to wear it, too!). But between each of these thoughts, his mind went back to Kyouya. 

He held his hand over his pocket, waiting to feel his phone’s vibration, all day.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------

Not long before classes were over for the day, Tamaki had a thought: _Kyouya must be somewhere where he has to be quiet!_ Perhaps his father had brought him along to some meeting, to see how an Ootori does business? That would explain why Kyouya had not replied. Sighing in relief, Tamaki tapped out a text under his desk (he’d long since stopped trying to pay attention). 

_[Tamaki <3] [SENT at 14:11]: not coming to school 2day? mommy is so cruel for ignoring daddy!_

When he received no response, he sent another.

_[Tamaki <3] [SENT at 14:19]: did u have meeting or something_

And another.

_[Tamaki <3] [SENT at 14:31]: r u coming to club or no today its mean for mother to ignore father!!!_

Kyouya did not reply.

_[Tamaki <3] [SENT at 14:35]: where r u anyway_  
_[Tamaki <3] [SENT at 14:40]: kyouya_  
_[Tamaki <3] [SENT at 14:46]: ????_  
_[Tamaki <3] [SENT at 14:51]: are you okay_

Tamaki noticed the teacher had stopped the lesson and was glaring at him. “Is my lesson interrupting your personal conversation, Suou-kun?"

Someone on the other side of the room snickered. His face beet-red, Tamaki hid his phone under his jacket. “Er- ah, no, please continue…” Sighing, the teacher started to wrap up the day’s class. Tamaki glanced desperately at the clock tower outside, and sent a final text.

_[Tamaki <3] [SENT at 14:58]: call me back as soon as you get this kyouya_

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Honestly, Tamaki half-expected to see Kyouya in the club room waiting to reprimand him for harassing him when he headed to the music room. To miss school was bad enough, but Kyouya hated to miss club meetings because it meant he had to rely on what the others told him for data in terms of what of the budget was spent. Tamaki was more than a little freaked out to have his fears confirmed- no Kyouya, again. He entered and decided he might as well ask.

“Has anyone seen Kyouya today?”

“Nope,” Hikaru responded disinterestedly, looking through the day’s costumes.

“Not yet,” Kaoru added, holding up some blue-green monstrosity. It was too big, so he tossed it to Mori. Instead of catching it, Mori let it hit him and fall to the floor. Typical.

“Kyou-chan is usually dropped off at the same time we are, but we didn’t see him this morning, did we, Takashi?” A small voice chirped. Hani put on his best “thinking” face, touching a finger to his lip and looking upwards towards the ceiling.

“No,” Mori’s low tone confirmed.

Tamaki sighed and plopped down rather ungracefully onto one of the music room’s plush sofas. “I haven’t been able to get ahold of him all day, but he always tells me if he’s not coming,” Tamaki mumbled.

A raised eyebrow. “You’re in the same class aren’t you, Tamaki-senpai? How could we have seen him if you didn’t?” Ah, Haruhi, always the logical thinker.

Another dramatic sigh, “I guess I didn’t expect you to have seen him, really. I was just hoping.” Tamaki leaned against the arm of the couch, resting his hand under his chin. The customers would be arriving soon, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to play up his princely side today. Perhaps he could try the “brooding” persona on today? He’d been meaning to switch things up a bit, and it honestly wouldn’t require much acting. “I’m just kind of worried,” he confessed.

Haruhi’s expression softened and she took a seat next to him. It was about as emotional as she got, and he was thankful for her understanding. “I’m sure Kyouya-senpai is fine. Maybe he caught the flu or something? I heard it was going around.” 

“He’s probably puking his guts out,” Hikaru added, nodding.

“And he’s barely got any guts, so that’s saying something,” Kaoru added. The two smirked at each other.

Haruhi frowned, “Don’t be so gross you-“

Tamaki suddenly bolted straight up, leaping to his feet (and scaring the daylight out of poor Haruhi). His phone was vibrating.

_[K-O] [REPLY to your MESSAGE] [15:14]: tmaaakii u r_

Tamaki’s breath left his body. Kyouya never, ever misspelled anything. Every text from him was perfectly spelled and efficient. Not necessarily full sentences, but always a complete thought, conveyed in the simplest terms. In all the time Tamaki had known him, he had never once sent something like this.

The Cheshire grin vanished from the twins’ faces and they simultaneously asked, “What’s wrong?”

Mori’s head whipped sideways to face him, and Hani became very quiet. Haruhi rose to her feet uneasily next to him and repeated the question; “Tamaki-senpai? What is it?” She stood on his toes and leaned in to look at his phone’s screen, but his shaking hands snapped it shut.

“I have to go. Something’s wrong with Kyouya.” He stuffed the phone into his pocket and paced across the room and through the door at a near-run. 

“Tama-chan!” Hani called after him. The twins blustered out some half-formed questions. Haruhi’s footsteps hurriedly approached him in the hall. She grabbed his arm and spun him around. Her eyes widened, seeing the panic on his face, and she let go. He started to run again.

“Tamaki-senpai!” Haruhi called, “let us know what’s going on as soon as you get there!”

“I will!” Tamaki shouted over his shoulder. He felt his friends’ concern weigh upon his shoulders.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Outside, Tamaki hopped anxiously around as he waited for his driver. He normally wasn’t picked up until after club time, so his sudden demand to be picked up caught the poor man off guard. As soon as the car arrived, Tamaki threw himself into the back seat. His driver turned back to look at him, shocked because Tamaki always waited for him to open the door. Even more surprising was his order; where another day he would hear “take me to the Ootori mansion, please,” the wild-eyed teen breathlessly exclaimed, “I need to see Kyouya!”

Alarmed but unsure if it was proper to ask, the driver replied with a simple “yes, sir,” and sped off.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Having spent the short-but-somehow-painfully-long ride to Kyouya’s house staring at the message, Tamaki fumbled and dropped the phone as soon as he got out of the car. He kicked up dirt as he snatched the device from the ground, tearing off towards the entrance before the driver had a chance to ask if he was supposed to stay and wait for Tamaki’s return. 

The Ootori mansion was always quiet, but now it felt terrifyingly so. He rang the bell twice and immediately started to pound on the door before a frightened-looking young servant opened it. The woman barely managed to mumble “Ah- S-Suou-sama-“ as he shot past her into the entryway. Scanning the area with his eyes, he saw no sign of Ootori-san, which was not unusual for this time of day but made his heart sink nonetheless. He took the stairs two at a time and was nearly out of breath when he reached Kyouya’s bedroom door. He skidded to a stop and narrowly avoided running into Kyouya’s sister, Fuyumi, as she softly closed the door to her youngest brother’s room.

His eyes were ablaze. “Fuyumi-san! Is Kyouya here?!”

“Tamaki-kun!” she exclaimed, “I didn’t expect to see you so soon!”

“Is Kyouya in there?” He made a move for the door, but she stepped into his way.

Fuyumi looked from Tamaki to the door and then back again. “Ah, well, yes, but I don’t know if he’s up for visitors just yet. The surgery went well and he’s been home for a little while now, but he should probably rest-“

Tamaki froze. _Surgery?!_

Fuyumi must have seen the terror in his eyes. Waving her hands quickly, she shook her head. “Oh, no, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to frighten you! Kyouya just had his wisdom teeth out, that’s all, Tamaki-kun!” She bowed in apology.

“…What?” 

Fuyumi stood straight. “Yes. They weren’t impacted, but Father decided Kyouya should have them removed in case they did, so that his teeth didn’t become crooked. The appointment has been planned for months, didn’t Kyouya tell you?”

Tamaki leaned heavily against the wall, exhaling a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. “….No. No, he didn’t say anything. He didn’t even tell me he’d be missing school today.”

“That’s awfully unlike him,” Fuyumi said, frowning.

Tamaki’s brow furrowed. It _was_ unlike Kyouya, that was exactly why he’d been so worried. Sensing she had again upset Tamaki, Fuyumi nervously backtracked. “Um, well, I’m sure he had his reasons, Tamaki-kun. Maybe he’d like to see you, after all?” She cracked the door open, but Tamaki hesitated.

_Should I even go in?_ Kyouya, for some reason, hadn’t wanted him to know about today. He was hurt that his best friend would keep something like this from him (it was still surgery, after all, and there were always risks). What if something had gone wrong? Freak accidents happened all the time, didn’t they? Sure, he would have worried either way, but at least he wouldn’t have thought his best friend was dead in a gutter somewhere! At least he’d have known what to worry about! At least he would have been able to see Kyouya as soon as possible! Tamaki couldn’t decide if his anger at Kyouya was surpassed by his need to see him, or vice versa. He was inwardly battling himself, torn between wanting to respect Kyouya’s privacy and wanting to scold him for hiding it from him.

The dilemma lasted all of three seconds.

Tamaki burst into the room. His eyes darted around for a moment before finding Kyouya, curled on his sofa rather than in bed in his loft, lying silently, eyes closed. As Tamaki approached him, Fuyumi at his heels, he could hear Kyouya’s soft breathing. Tamaki stood in front of his sleeping friend for a moment.

“Kyouya,” he said in a tone level and calm, but which echoed deafeningly in the soundless mansion. Tamaki wore his heart on his sleeve, but for once even he was unsure which emotion his voice betrayed. Just as he had earlier, Kyouya ignored him. Tamaki sighed and sat next to him on the edge of the sofa. “Kyouya,” he repeated louder, ruffling his friend’s hair.

This time, Kyouya stirred. To say Kyouya was hard to wake in the morning was an understatement, so Tamaki wasn’t sure what to expect when he was heavily medicated and it was the middle of the day. Kyouya pushed himself up by his arms and made a sound of confusion. He awkwardly put his hand to his left eye and Tamaki realized he couldn’t see. Fuyumi handed him Kyouya’s glasses, which had been sitting on the coffee table, and he gently placed them on Kyouya’s face. Kyouya winced as Tamaki’s hand lightly brushed his cheek. “Sorry, _mon ami_ ,” Tamaki removed his hands. The room was silent again.

Huffing, Tamaki decided it was time to get down to business. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were having your wisdom teeth removed today! I’ve been out of mind with worry all day wondering what happened to you! And the rest of the club was scared, too!” The words came pouring out of his mouth, straight from his heart. Looking away, Tamaki frowned. “Why would you keep something like this from me? We’re supposed to be best friends, why would you make me worry like this?”

Kyouya, eyes hazy, stared at him. He suddenly clapped his hands on Tamaki’s shoulders. Tamaki leaned away from him, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Kyouya was easily the least likely of all his friends to initiate physical contact. He looked very serious all of a sudden, and Tamaki wondered what profound thing he was about to-

“Tamaki!” Kyouya exclaimed, wincing again at the pain of speaking, “Tamaki. Ow. Tamaki, you are….. Tamaki, did you know your name sounds weird? Tamaki,”

“Eh?” Tamaki blinked. Kyouya _giggled_ as he said his friend’s name, and Tamaki was horrified. This was not how his friend was supposed to be, this was some strange, alternate-universe Kyouya!

“I think this is probably why he didn’t tell you,” Fuyumi whispered, “he was probably just embarrassed to be seen like this by someone he cares so much about.”

“But,” Tamaki protested, looking back at her, “that’s what friends are _for!_ They’re supposed to see you at your worst and support you! If Kyouya doesn’t want me to see him like this, then he must not really consider me his fr-“

Kyouya grabbed his face suddenly, staring intensely into his eyes. “Tamaki. You’re my _best friend_ and I _love_ you, Tamaki,” he managed to restrain himself a little from openly laughing at Tamaki’s completely normal-sounding name. 

There was something so pure and honest about this Kyouya. The medication had demolished his long-sturdy walls, and his true feelings had come through, magnified in intensity 100 times. Tamaki’s heart melted. He felt terrible for ever doubting Kyouya. He smiled and shook his head, pushing Kyouya back down to the sofa (and the ice pack that Tamaki now saw he’d been lying on). “You’re my best friend, too, Kyouya. Go back to sleep.”

Fuyumi grinned and quietly excused herself from the room. Kyouya mumbled something incoherent as he closed his eyes, glasses askew, and did as he was told. Tamaki pulled out his phone to see that now he had been the one accidentally ignoring messages—these ones from their friends panicking over him and Kyouya. He immediately started typing a group text to reassure them and apologize, when he had an idea. He was still kind of annoyed that Kyouya had caused them all to worry, and no one knew the importance of repaying a debt like Kyouya, right? Kyouya would surely hate to owe them something. Tamaki sent the text, then followed it up with a picture he snapped of the sleeping shadow king. It was the _least_ he could do to help his dearest friend repay them for the worry.

Every member of the host club kept it as their phone’s wallpaper for a month.

**Author's Note:**

> bit crackish at the end but i mean let's be real you've all seen vids of people after getting their wisdom teeth out, they don't exactly act like normal human beings. feel free to throw title suggestions at me and let me know if you spot a mistake i missed! thanks for reading!


End file.
